The Ministry of Health is yet again on the spot over the quality of care at the country’s biggest hospitals. Ordinary Rwandans’ lives are increasingly put at risk not only because of overcrowding in referral hospitals but also carelessness by some health professionals.

Binagwaho

Already, the ministry has been under scrutiny for not only failing to manage the community-based insurance scheme Mutuelle de Sante, which covers the majority of ordinary Rwandans, but also curbing the increasing cases of malaria.

Statistics show that Mutuelle de Sante subscriptions have been decreasing gradually — with an estimated 73 per cent of Rwandans subscribed to the scheme in the past fiscal year 2013/14, down from 80.7 per cent and 90.7 per cent in the financial years 2012/13 and 2011/12, respectively.

There is also a public outcry over increasing cases of malaria in the recent months, a disease that had been effectively put under control. This is not to mention increase in cases of corruption in the health sector.

Perhaps what is more worrying, however, are cases of maternal deaths in our hospitals. At least 80 per cent of complaints on poor medical services or damage claims are maternal health-related and so far have been reported at the Rwanda Medical and Dental Council (RMDC).

Reports have it that, so far, only 487 deaths per 100,000 deliveries are recorded, hence the call to add at least two or one permanent gynaecologist and paediatrician at every health centre and district hospital. These will help to supervise and guide deliveries if the country is to have no maternal mortalities.

Increasingly, many wonder how a country which boasts of being on track to achieve health-related Millennium Development Goals, particularly on infant- and maternal mortality, can still have hospitals marred with such inefficiencies.

While it would be unrealistic to expect the government to address the issue of shortage of doctors in a short time given the country’s history, the apparent carelessness of our medical doctors is indefensible and shocking. This is largely due to laxity in management of these hospitals, which should be supervised by the ministry.

While the quality of care is also often limited by a wide range of gaps, including individual medical doctors’ knowledge and skills as well as systems-level issues such as supply and human resource management, the ministry has to come up with an holistic approach to address these issues.

Emphasis on individual provider and continuous monitoring efforts could be instrumental to turning around our health system.

 

Placide KayitareAFRICADEMOCRACY & FREEDOMSHUMAN RIGHTSLATEST NEWSWORLDThe Ministry of Health is yet again on the spot over the quality of care at the country’s biggest hospitals. Ordinary Rwandans’ lives are increasingly put at risk not only because of overcrowding in referral hospitals but also carelessness by some health professionals. Binagwaho Already, the ministry has been under scrutiny...PUBLISHING YOUR NEWS WITH CUTTING EDGE STYLE